Dare to Drabble
by Bittersweet Mika
Summary: Varried collection of drabbles, multiple situations and parings. Some funny, some not. More to be added as I go. They're good for getting over writters block. And, uhhh, none actually 100 words, but less than 1000. That still counts right?
1. Tattoo

**Title:** Tattoo

**Rating: **K+

**Disclaimer: **Just playing, I'll put them back when I'm done.

**Authors Notes: **Taste the Rainbow

* * *

Hinata took a deep breath and looked around with her inactivated eyes first. She didn't want anyone to see her practicing the Kaiten; she was embarrassed that she hadn't mastered it. Even with her new training she was behind where she should be. She knew that she should be grateful that her father was finally taking an interest in her, in not only her but Neji as well. But it didn't help that she was training with her cousin and he had a way of making her feel like she would never catch up to him, to anyone. 

Once she was satisfied that there wasn't anyone around she executed a series of hand seals and her Byakugan came to life. Her field of vision dramatically increased and she slowly rotated, taking in every detail around her. When she focused on the house, she stopped suddenly and felt a blush sweep her entire being and her mouth fall open in shock.

Neji was in the house, it appeared that he hadn't returned to his own home to shower after their afternoon training session and had used one of the bathrooms in the main house. So at the moment, Hinata had an unobstructed view of her cousin in nothing but a towel and with dripping wet hair. Hinata felt herself gulp and knew she should look away.

She didn't, for one reason. It was wrong, but instead she focused Neji more intently when she noticed that he had something on his lower stomach. And her mouth dropped open even more. She didn't know how or when, but at some point Neji had managed to get a tattoo of a swirling pattern around his navel. It stood out starkly against the trademark Hyuuga skin.

Hinata finally pulled herself out of her slight daze and shut off the Byakugan and walked away still blushing. She didn't feel like training anymore, she wouldn't be able to concentrate with the image of a towel clad, tattooed Neji in her mind.

-fin


	2. Boxers

**Title: **Boxers

**Rating: **K+

**Disclaimer: **see first chapter

**Authors Note: **Taste the Rainbow

* * *

"Would you like to explain this?" Her father asked holding the offending object up in one hand.

"What……" Ino trailed off, not exactly sure how to respond. But she was sure that dealing with her over reactive father was bound to cause one massive headache.

"Where did these come from?" Inoshi asked his daughter.

"Ummm….." was Ino's well thought out reply.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" He asked.

"Well you see-" Ino began.

"Does your mother know about this?" He cut her off.

"Actually she does," she began to explain. However Ino stopped when she saw her father turn an alarming shade of red.

"And she didn't tell me?" He sounded less angry and more dumbfounded. And sat down heavily on his daughters desk chair.

Ino, still not sure how this all started looked at her father with a worried expression on her face, "Mom didn't think you would care."

"She didn't think I would care?" He sounded insulted, "You're my little girl, how could I not care?"

Highly confused now Ino tried to carry on, "It's not a big deal, we use his house all the time."

Inoshi's eyes widened until they threatened to fall off his face, "How did you mother find out?"

"She was here the whole time."

Mouth no hanging open, Inoshi was completely out of things to say. His innocent baby girl was no longer so….well innocent.

However it was that moment when the matriarch of the Yamanaka house strolled by the open door to her daughter's room and saw her husband sitting dejectedly on the desk chair.

Popping her head into the room she asked, "Something wrong honey?"

Inoshi just lifted up his arm and a pair of boxer shorts with the name 'Nara' scrawled on the waistband in permanent marker.

"Ino, I thought I told you to give those back to Shikamaru after I washed them," she scolded.

Ino looked a little sheepish, "I've been sleeping in them."

"Ino," her mother said warningly.

"They're comfy! And a lot lighter than anything I have to sleep in. It's hot at night."

"Sweetie, if you want to sleep in boxer shorts, I'll buy you some. Don't steal your teammates when they use our shower."

"Shower?" Inoshi questioned.

"Yes dear," Mom Yamanaka said, "Shikamaru used our shower last week after a mission. The one at his house was broken."

"I've used theirs a ton of times," Ino said.

"Oh," he said softly. That actually made a lot of sense.

"What you all up in arms about?" Inoshi's wife asked him.

He blushed bright red, "Well you see…." and trailed off.

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Until what was implied finally clicked in Ino's head.

"DADDY!"

-fin


	3. Belong

**Title: **Belong

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own it

**Authors Note: **Taste the Rainbow

* * *

"You belong here."

It was a simple statement, yet it carried with it weight that was unimagined. She had delivered this single sentence up to him on two knees; kneeling and looking at him with imploring eyes.

"Belong?" He asked unsure of how he was supposed to react to this unexpected declaration.

"Yes, I was never meant to be in this position. It is never said, but yet acknowledged widely. I'm stepping down and I will not leave this legacy to my sister," Hinata said softly yet firmly.

Neji absorbed his cousins words and let them cycle in his head. After a moment he sat down across from Hinata and attempted to look her in the eye, failing when she kept her head bowed and her eyes down.

"Look at me please," he said softly.

Hinata brought her chin up and leveled her silvery eyes with his, "Does this convince you of my sincerity?"

"I do not understand," Neji stated, conveying with a small statement his whirling emotions and overturning thoughts.

"I feel that I am the wrong person to lead this family. I do not have the fortitude for it."

"You have grown into a strong-" he began.

"My heart is not in this," Hinata cut him off. With that she stood and walked to a door that had been slid open to view the night view of her garden.

Quietly, Neji stood and followed her coming to a stop less than a foot behind her. He could feel the head of her body rolling off her gentle waves. She kept her back to him and took a breath to steady herself before speaking again.

"This family has done things," she whispered having lost the ability to speak out loud to churning emotions, "Things from which I may never heal. Things that I can't forgive."

Neji tensed as her quiet words flowed into him and her reasons became clear with a jolt. He understood, he wished he didn't. His father had the luxury of choice, she was never given one.

She turned to face them and the distance between them closed even more. Her head tilted back to lock their eyes, willing and at the same time pleading with him to relent to her request.

"I have made changes where I could. I have started what you have the ability to finish. You belong here," she reiterated her statement from before.

"Why do you think that?" He had to ask, he had to know.

"Because you are what my father wanted me to be and at the same time you became the man he feared the most."

"They are very much the same thing," Neji said heavily.

"But different enough to matter," Hinata countered.

Neji's mind finally wrapped around what she had been driving towards. He was the strength, skill and iron will that Hiashi had desperately wanted for his daughters, and he was the steeled compassion, determined fairness and the open mind that the last head of the Hyuuga household had feared.

Neji _was _change.

Yet, the young ninja wasn't confident in his ability to do it by himself.

"I'll need your help," he said.

"You will always have it," agreed Hinata, "The announcement will be made tomorrow. After that I will leave and you will take over."

"Leave?" He asked confused, "Why? How will you be able to help me if you are not here?"

"I will come whenever you need it," she said, "But, for awhile it least, I must leave. There are things that I must do."

"What is it that can not be done here?"

"I will need to be buy myself, I need the quiet. I will be back."

"Why?"

"I must prepare myself," Hinata said.

Her older cousin still stood in front of her silently encouraging her to explain. She knew that it was time, he would have to know. Things this big could not stay hidden for long.

"I am pregnant."

It was a simple statement that brought all of the pieces into focus. And as shocked as he was my her proclamation he understood her reasons. Because, the baby was most certainly not of the Hyuuga line.

"The father?" He asked in a low voice.

Hinata smiled sweetly, "Now is not the time for that."

Neji nodded once in acceptance of her words. She finally took a step back form him then to the side to walk past him to the room's exit.

"Get some rest," she said, "Tomorrow will be a trying day."

With that she exited the room and left Neji alone with nothing but his thoughts and so many possibilities in front of him. When the door slid closed, the sound brought the weight of all that he would do came down on him and he was forced to sit in the dimmed room and begin to organize his turning mind.

-fin


	4. Question

**Title: **Question

**Rating: **K+

**Disclaimer: **I put Naruto on my Christmas list, but I doubt Santa will deliver.

**Authors Notes: **I'm a bad bad person who never updates. Sorry about that. Taste the Rainbow.

* * *

"What do you think?"

It had been a fairly simple question. One that shouldn't have led to this much trouble.

_Then again, _he thought, _women are usually anything but._

"I asked you a question," Tsunade's voice rose slightly. A sign that she wanted an answer.

Now.

"It captures a certain essence of your…unique spirit," Jiraiya said in an even voice. Hoping that would be enough to satisfy the Hokage.

"And what the hell does that mean?" she demanded.

_Damn! _Jiraiya said to himself, now he would have to think up a real answer for his temperamental teammate. He stared again at the new portrait of Tsunade that was hanging in the Hokage's building.

"It's very life like," he tried again.

"I looked pissed off in that picture!" She said indignantly.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," the other sannin said hoping to sound casual. Even though it had been the first thought that had run through his mind when he saw the portrait. "I doubt that anyone else will think that."

Tsunade glared at her companion with a look that said that she _knew _he was lying and still couldn't call him on it or do anything about it.

She hated it when he had one up on her.

"Jiraiya, let me ask you something," she began.

"Hmm?" He turned and looked at her.

"Do I always look like that?"

Jiraiya could feel himself pale. There was **NO **good way out of this one.


End file.
